# List of justices of the Supreme Court of Canada by seat

The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada. It was established by the Parliament of Canada through the Supreme and Exchequer Court Act of 1875, as authorized by Section 101 of the Constitution Act, 1867. Since 1949, the Court has been the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system. (Previously, it had functioned as an intermediate appellate court subject to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the United Kingdom.) Parliament initially fixed the size of the Court at six justices: the chief justice of Canada and five puisne justices; and, until 1887, the justices also sat individually as judges of the Exchequer Court. A sixth puisne justice was added in 1927, bringing the Court to a total of seven justices. Two additional puisne seats were created in 1949, bringing the Court to a total of nine justices, which is its current complement.
The following tables trace the succession of justices of the Supreme Court of Canada by seat. Justices are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister. When a chief justice leaves office, the vacancy is traditionally filled by elevating an incumbent puisne justice to the position, which requires a separate appointment process. There are no formal numbers or names for the individual puisne justice seats, which are listed in this article simply by number and the name of the first puisne justice to occupy it, as well as by the year in which each was established by Parliament. The numbering of puisne justice seats established simultaneously, 1–5 and 6–7, reflects the order of precedence of the inaugural justices to occupy those seats.
The start date listed for each justice is the day the justice took the judicial oath of office, and the end date is the date of the justice's death, resignation, retirement, or appointment as chief justice. The names of incumbents are in bold.

## Original seats

Chief Justice The Chief's seat :
| Established in 1875 ||
| William Buell Richards (1815–1889) | September 30, 1875 – January 10, 1879 |
| William Johnstone Ritchie (1813–1892) | January 11, 1879 – September 25, 1892 |
| Samuel Henry Strong (1825–1909) | December 13, 1892 – November 17, 1902 |
| Henri-Elzéar Taschereau (1836–1911) | November 21, 1902 – May 1, 1906 |
| Charles Fitzpatrick (1853–1942) | June 4, 1906 – October 20, 1918 |
| Louis Henry Davies (1845–1924) | October 23, 1918 – May 1, 1924 |
| Francis Alexander Anglin (1865–1933) | September 16, 1924 – February 27, 1933 |
| Lyman Duff (1865–1955) | March 17, 1933 – January 6, 1944 |
| Thibaudeau Rinfret (1879–1962) | January 8, 1944 – June 21, 1954 |
| Patrick Kerwin (1889–1963) | July 1, 1954 – February 2, 1963 |
| Robert Taschereau (1896–1970) | April 22, 1963 – August 31, 1967 |
| John Robert Cartwright (1895–1979) | September 1, 1967 – March 22, 1970 |
| Joseph Honoré Gérald Fauteux (1900–1980) | March 23, 1970 – December 22, 1973 |
| Bora Laskin (1912–1984) | December 27, 1973 – March 26, 1984 |
| Brian Dickson (1916–1998) | April 18, 1984 – June 29, 1990 |
| Antonio Lamer (1933–2007) | July 1, 1990 – January 6, 2000 |
| Beverley McLachlin (born 1943) | January 7, 2000 – December 14, 2017 |
| Richard Wagner (born 1957) | December 18, 2017 – present |
Puisne Justice 1 The Ritchie seat :
| Established in 1875 ||
| William Johnstone Ritchie (1813–1892) | September 30, 1875 – January 11, 1879 |
| John Wellington Gwynne (1814–1902) | January 14, 1879 – January 7, 1902 |
| David Mills (1831–1903) | February 8, 1902 – May 8, 1903 |
| Wallace Nesbitt (1858–1930) | May 16, 1903 – October 3, 1905 |
| James Maclennan (1833–1915) | October 5, 1905 – February 12, 1909 |
| Francis Alexander Anglin (1865–1933) | February 23, 1909 – September 16, 1924 |
| Edmund Leslie Newcombe (1859–1931) | September 16, 1924 – December 9, 1931 |
| Oswald Smith Crocket (1868–1945) | September 21, 1932 – April 12, 1943 |
| Ivan Rand (1884–1969) | April 22, 1943 – April 26, 1959 |
| Roland Ritchie (1910–1988) | May 5, 1959 – October 30, 1984 |
| Gérard La Forest (born 1926) | January 16, 1985 – September 30, 1997 |
| Michel Bastarache (born 1947) | September 30, 1997 – June 30, 2008 |
| Thomas Cromwell (born 1952) | December 22, 2008 – August 31, 2016 |
| Malcolm Rowe (born 1953) | October 28, 2016 – present |
Puisne Justice 2 The Strong seat :
| Established in 1875 ||
| Samuel Henry Strong (1825–1909) | September 30, 1875 – December 13, 1892 |
| Robert Sedgewick (1848–1906) | February 18, 1893 – August 4, 1906 |
| Lyman Duff (1865–1955) | September 27, 1906 – March 17, 1933 |
| Frank Joseph Hughes (1883–1967) | March 17, 1933 – February 12, 1935 |
| Patrick Kerwin (1889–1963) | July 20, 1935 – July 1, 1954 |
| Douglas Charles Abbott (1899–1987) | July 1, 1954 – December 22, 1973 |
| Louis-Philippe de Grandpré (1917–2008) | January 1, 1974 – September 30, 1977 |
| Yves Pratte (1925–1988) | October 1, 1977 – June 29, 1979 |
| Julien Chouinard (1929–1987) | September 24, 1979 – February 6, 1987 |
| Claire L'Heureux-Dubé (born 1927) | April 15, 1987 – June 30, 2002 |
| Marie Deschamps (born 1952) | August 7, 2002 – August 6, 2012 |
| Richard Wagner (born 1957) | October 5, 2012 – December 18, 2017 |
| Sheilah Martin (born 1956) | December 18, 2017 – present |
Puisne Justice 3 The Taschereau seat :
| Established in 1875 ||
| Jean-Thomas Taschereau (1814–1893) | September 30, 1875 – October 6, 1878 |
| Sir Henri-Elzéar Taschereau (1836–1911) | October 7, 1878 – November 21, 1902 |
| John Douglas Armour (1830–1903) | November 21, 1902 – July 11, 1903 |
| Albert Clements Killam (1849–1908) | August 8, 1903 – February 5, 1905 |
| John Idington (1840–1928) | February 10, 1905 – March 30, 1927 |
| John Henderson Lamont (1865–1936) | April 2, 1927 – March 10, 1936 |
| Albert Blellock Hudson (1875–1947) | March 24, 1936 – January 6, 1947 |
| Charles Holland Locke (1887–1980) | June 3, 1947 – September 15, 1962 |
| Emmett Matthew Hall (1898–1995) | November 23, 1962 – February 28, 1973 |
| Brian Dickson (1916–1998) | March 26, 1973 – April 18, 1984 |
| Gerald Le Dain (1924–2007) | May 29, 1984 – November 29, 1988 |
| Peter Cory (1925-2020) | February 1, 1989 – May 31, 1999 |
| Louise Arbour (born 1947) | September 15, 1999 – June 30, 2004 |
| Louise Charron (born 1951) | August 30, 2004 – August 29, 2011 |
| Andromache Karakatsanis (born 1955) | October 21, 2011 – present |
Puisne Justice 4 The Fournier seat :
| Established in 1875 ||
| Télesphore Fournier (1823–1896) | September 30, 1875 – September 11, 1895 |
| Désiré Girouard (1836–1911) | September 28, 1895 – March 22, 1911 |
| Louis-Philippe Brodeur (1862–1924) | August 11, 1911 – October 9, 1923 |
| Arthur Cyrille Albert Malouin (1857–1936) | January 30, 1924 – September 30, 1924 |
| Thibaudeau Rinfret (1879–1962) | October 1, 1924 – January 8, 1944 |
| Roy Lindsay Kellock (1893–1975) | October 3, 1944 – January 14, 1958 |
| Wilfred Judson (1902–1980) | February 5, 1958 – July 19, 1977 |
| Willard Estey (1919–2002) | September 29, 1977 – April 21, 1988 |
| John Sopinka (1933–1997) | May 24, 1988 – November 24, 1997 |
| Ian Binnie (born 1939) | January 8, 1998 – October 20, 2011 |
| Michael Moldaver (born 1947) | October 21, 2011 – August 31, 2022 |
| Michelle O'Bonsawin (born 1973/74) | September 1, 2022 – present |
Puisne Justice 5 The Henry seat :
| Established in 1875 ||
| William Alexander Henry (1816–1888) | September 30, 1875 – May 3, 1888 |
| Christopher Salmon Patterson (1823–1893) | October 27, 1888 – July 24, 1893 |
| George Edwin King (1839–1901) | September 21, 1893 – May 8, 1901 |
| Louis Henry Davies (1845–1924) | September 25, 1901 – October 23, 1918 |
| Pierre-Basile Mignault (1854–1945) | October 25, 1918 – September 29, 1929 |
| Lawrence Arthur Dumoulin Cannon (1877–1939) | January 14, 1930 – December 25, 1939 |
| Robert Taschereau (1896–1970) | February 9, 1940 – April 22, 1963 |
| Wishart Flett Spence (1904–1998) | May 30, 1963 – December 28, 1978 |
| William McIntyre (1918–2009) | January 1, 1979 – February 14, 1989 |
| Beverley McLachlin (born 1943) | March 30, 1989 – January 7, 2000 |
| Louis LeBel (1939-2023) | January 7, 2000 – November 29, 2014 |
| Suzanne Côté (born 1958) | December 1, 2014 – present |

## Additional seats

Puisne Justice 6 The Smith seat :
| Established in 1927 ||
| Robert Smith (1858–1942) | May 18, 1927 – December 6, 1933 |
| Henry Hague Davis (1885–1944) | January 31, 1935 – June 30, 1944 |
| James Wilfred Estey (1889–1956) | October 6, 1944 – January 22, 1956 |
| Henry Grattan Nolan (1893–1957) | March 1, 1956 – July 8, 1957 |
| Ronald Martland (1909–1997) | January 15, 1958 – February 9, 1982 |
| Bertha Wilson (1923–2007) | March 4, 1982 – January 3, 1991 |
| Frank Iacobucci (born 1937) | January 7, 1991 – June 30, 2004 |
| Rosalie Abella (born 1946) | August 30, 2004 – June 30, 2021 |
| Mahmud Jamal (born 1967) | July 1, 2021 – present |
Puisne Justice 7 The Cartwright seat :
| Established in 1949 ||
| John Robert Cartwright (1895–1979) | December 22, 1949 – September 1, 1967 |
| Louis-Philippe Pigeon (1905–1986) | September 21, 1967 – February 7, 1980 |
| Antonio Lamer (1933–2007) | March 28, 1980 – July 1, 1990 |
| William Stevenson (1934–2021) | September 17, 1990 – June 4, 1992 |
| John C. Major (born 1931) | November 13, 1992 – December 24, 2005 |
| Marshall Rothstein (born 1940) | March 1, 2006 – August 30, 2015 |
| Russell Brown (born 1965) | August 31, 2015 – June 12, 2023 |
| Mary Moreau (born 1957) | November 6, 2023 – present |
Puisne Justice 8 The Fauteux seat :
| Established 1949 ||
| Joseph Honoré Gérald Fauteux (1900–1980) | December 22, 1949 – March 23, 1970 |
| Bora Laskin (1912–1984) | March 19, 1970 – December 27, 1973 |
| Jean Beetz (1927–1991) | January 1, 1974 – November 9, 1988 |
| Charles Gonthier (1928–2009) | February 1, 1989 – July 31, 2003 |
| Morris Fish (born 1938) | August 5, 2003 – August 30, 2013 |
| Clément Gascon (born 1960) | June 9, 2014 – September 15, 2019 |
| Nicholas Kasirer (born 1960) | September 16, 2019 – present |